


Truths discovered

by Televa



Category: Bridgerton (TV)
Genre: Bridgerton Family Feels, Brotherhood, Brotherly Bonding, Forbidden Love, Lesbian Eloise Bridgerton, M/M, Sibling Bonding, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29621541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Televa/pseuds/Televa
Summary: "So, how long have the Duke and you been affiliated with each other?"Anthony splutters. A deep shade of red rouses on his cheeks as he looks at Benedict with eyes wide with fear.
Relationships: Anthony Bridgerton & Benedict Bridgerton, Anthony Bridgerton & Eloise Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton & Eloise Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton/Henry Granville, Simon Basset/Anthony Bridgerton
Comments: 9
Kudos: 82





	Truths discovered

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hey look, yet another fandom I probably won't write anything else for! I'm trying ok!
> 
> Yeahh so as some of you may already know, English isn't my first language and my dyslexia's been somewhat worse lately there might be typos or thought errors etc, so please be kind and let me know!
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr @ too-spoopy-to-be-frukd

It shouldn't have come as a surprise, Benedict muses, supporting himself against a pillar, how similar they were with Anthony in essence. As he himself stumbled his way back home after a rowdy night of sketching, wine and lovemaking, so has Anthony stumbled out of a carriage desperately adjusting the collar of his jacket to cover his neck better.

"Brother." 

"Brother." 

Occasions like this are not unknown to either of them but staying seemingly polite and distant like this turns out to be harder than thought, and soon the both of them chuckle together. 

"May I offer a cigarette on a beautiful night like this?" Benedict asks and heads to the old swing set in the corner of the yard. Eloise had jokingly begun to call it the corner of the Hellenic club of Bridgertons after a summer of shared moments of smoking hidden from the privy eyes. 

Anthony says nothing but sits down nonetheless, the collar of his shirt higher than normally. He accepts the cigarette with a smile and coughs after a long drag. Benedict laughs. 

"So, how long have the Duke and you been affiliated with each other?" 

Anthony splutters. A deep shade of red rouses on his cheeks as he looks at Benedict with eyes wide with fear. 

"How did, how you… How did you know? You mustn't tell anyone of this!" he says quickly through his teeth, his voice sounding like the sizzle of a stove. 

"Calm, brother. It was the Duke's carriage you came home in, was it not? There's a mark on your neck looking oddly like a love bite, and considering your long friendship and closeness I can count two plus two together. Please trust me when I say I have no desires to talk of this to anyone." 

Had there not been panic in his brother's eyes would Benedict laugh at the situation at hand as it has always been Anthony to tell him how not to strain too deep into the dark avenues of night, to keep their family's honor the highest priority in everything. 

"You must know of my nightly adventures by now," he continues, "and yet you have kept it a secret, and so shall I keep yours." It feels oddly good, to be for once the more experienced of the eldest brothers, to know more of how much pleasure lies behind doors the society has forbidden to enter. It is a world Benedict hasn't entertained himself in yet for a long time, only for a mere couple of months, but even that short time has turned out to be worth more than gold as it opened doors to both new experiences and social connections. 

"Benny, tell me frankly; how do you do it so effortlessly? How you have kept this flame of emotions concealed in your chest, locked away like a songbird in its cage?" Anthony asks, takes the last drag of the cigarette and gives it to Benedict who puts it in a cigarette case made of silver. The last thing they needed was a stern scolding from their mother about the dangers of smoking. After Father's passing she'd changed, become more observant of the ever present dangers of hedonism. Anthony may have been the Viscount and the head of their family, but all of the ton knew it was Dowager Violet in charge of the Bridgerton family. 

Benedict thinks, tries to make words of everything happened in the last months' time yet finds himself wishing he had their sister's way with words. Word play has never been his thing, the world of charcoal and rough paper and the mulled taste of red wine being so much more welcoming than the simple act of writing down. 

In the end he simply says, "My whole sense of being is on fire," and judging by the look on Anthony's face he knows exactly what Benedict means. 

"He was so afraid of touch first," Anthony says suddenly, the honest emotion of his voice startling Benedict. "So afraid of letting someone close and showing vulnerability. The first time he let me sleep next to him, to touch and keep him close as he slept, made my heart soar with happiness and pride. It is not an emotion I have experienced before, but something I want to, _need to_ keep close to my heart. You know him and I have been acquainted for something like an eternity at this point, but the companionship we have established in that time is what has given me hope all this time."

"Henry... Henry is the same, from time to time. There are days when he is certain of my departure. Oh how I wish I could show him the extent of my love for him, that I have no desires to leave him ever again. When he smiles it makes my heart burst alive, like a flame of summertime fills all of its corner making breathing a little easier. He opened his home to me and in return made himself my home, no matter how clichéish it may sound."

He doesn't even notice how fondly he is smiling. 

It is getting later already, time passing the hidden nook of the yard with a haste neither of them have paid attention to. Anthony shivers surreptitiously as the wind tussles his hair. Being the eldest two meant having the most time together yet as their little sisters and brothers were born that time had faded into passing moments scattered on the halls and rooms of their family home. Eloise will always be his favourite sibling, but the bond he shares with Anthony is special, as for back then it had been just the two of them against the world.

In the recent light, it felt even more like it, and that reminds him of what Henry told, so he says, "There will be another party, next Thursday. You are more than welcome to join us should you wish so." Then he adds, "Alone or with company," giving Anthony time to think about it. 

"Just let me know a bit beforehand and I will inform Henry of your presence should you decide to join us." 

"I shall… at least think about it," Anthony replies, surprising them both as declining straight away would have been more of his style. This tryst has made him loosen up a little, if Benedict could ever call his brother anything but too uptight for his own good. He chuckles. "But I promise you nothing yet, brother, not before I have talked about it with Simon."

Benedict is about to thank his brother for taking the invitation to consideration as his brother wasn't that fond of big parties, and even the thought of him attending an event of this nature makes him snicker in amusement, but Anthony continues, 

"Oh it must hurt mother, to have two of her children walking down the path of disgr-" 

"Three," Benedict corrents him and immediately slaps his mouth shut with a hand. He wants to slap himself on his head too, but alas, the cat is out of the bag and there's nothing left to be done. 

"Three?"

"Three." Benedict nods his head towards the second floor, the fourth leftest window where Eloise is still up in her room, most definitely scribbling down notes on Lady Whistledown's possible identity or reading of the heroines of the Ancient times. 

First silence, then;

"Oh. _Oh._ Well," Anthony thinks aloud, "that _does_ explain a lot. Do not fret brother, I shall not reveal your slip of the tongue."

Anthony stands up, stretches like a lion waking up from a nap. It is so late the moon has risen high up in the sky, the pathway back to the house illuminated by its cold light. It looks inviting, like guiding them back to the warmth of the house and as Anthony takes the first two steps and turns around to ask if he's coming, Benedict stands up and follows his brother inside. 

It has been an interesting evening after all.


End file.
